As per the statistics of drug busts issued by Dehradun police for the previous year and this year so far, many of the drug peddlers caught by police are from districts like Bareilly and Saharanpur of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. It is also being seen that in most of such cases, the peddlers tend to be habitual offenders and return to the trade of selling narcotics after they are released from jails on bail. Drug peddling activities being rampant in the state capital, around 561 persons have been arrested on the charge of supplying drugs among the youths last year while the figure is 241 for three months from January 1 to March 31 this year. Police recovered contrabands worth around Rs 7.08 crore from the offenders in 2017 while the same wroth Rs 1.65 crore has been recovered in three months this year.
Dehradun senior superintendent of police Nivedita Kukreti said that drive had been launched against drug peddling activities in the last year and the same is continuing this year too. District police have recovered 88.165 kg Hashish, 4.761 kg smack, 11.457 kg opium, 70.457 kg ganja, 73.200 kg bhang leaves, 123 kg poppy husk, 16662 tablets, 6773 injections, 20567 capsules and 98 drug papers worth Rs 7.08 crore. “Besides, 561 persons allegedly involved in supplying drugs to the students of various schools and colleges have been arrested and booked under appropriate sections ofNarcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in 2017. While 10 persons from Bareilly have been arrested 18 persons have been nabbed on the same charge from Saharanpur in 2017. Between January 1 to March 31, 2018, the district police have recovered 33.641kg Hashish, 1.283kg smack, 685 grams opium, 26.200 kg ganja, 49.100 kg poppy husk, 100 gram heroin wroth Rs 1.65 crore and 241 persons have been arrested from the district. Seven of them are from Saharanpur while one is from Bareilly,” she said.
Observers opine that statistics on narcotics and drugs are alarming. “Dehradun is fast turning into a hub of narcotics with their peddlers supplying them to the most vulnerable section of the society- the students and the youths with impunity.
The peddlers have their eyes trained on the large number of students, now studying in educational institutions and youths working in industries in the capital. Aside from busting such rackets, the state government and the police must do something more to save the youths from ruining themselves under the influence of the narcotics,” says an observer.